Load, transport and dump earth working machine



1 Dec. 18, 1962 P. c. O'LEARY 3,069,031 I LOAD, TRANSPORT AND DUMP EARTH WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. PAUL C. O'LEARY HIS ATTORNEY Dec. 18, 1962 P. c. OLEARY 3,069,031

LOAD, TRANSPORT AND DUMP EARTH WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1961 52 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PAUL C. O'LEARY BY 2- fiww FIG. 3 HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofihce 3,069,031 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 The present invention relates to earth working machines and, more particularly, to a new and improved, load, transport and dump machine which is of unique construction, making the machine extremely versatile and reliable in on-the-job use.

Principal objects of the present invention are to provide means for selectively moving back and forth both the work member of the machine and the load ejector thereof, alternatively, and this with the employment of but a single set of pressure cylinders; to conform the rear end of the body of the machine in a manner to prevent rocks and other debris from being wedged in between the body of the machine and the work member which would preclude proper operation; to provide means for selectively and reciprocatingly moving the work member, itself preferably of a novel design, in a series of pivotal displacements about a horizontal axis, to simulate manual hoeing, so as to derive the advantages of such a type action; to provide means for enabling the selective engagement of the work member with the ejector so that the latter may be moved by the extensible and retractable booms of the machine; and to provide suitable structure at the front end of the machine which enables the automatic removal of debris as might tend to accumulate between the front end of the load ejector and the forward portion of the machine.

According to the present invention the machine includes a pair of hydraulically, electrically or pneumatically operated booms which are selectively extensible and retractable. To the outer ends of these booms is pivotally connected a work member such as a bucket scoop or blade, or comprise the novel design shown. Pressure cylinder means are disposed in proximity with the work member and outer ends of the booms so that when the booms are retracted the work member may simultaneously be pivotally displaced in a selective series of reciprocating movements so as to urge, by simulating a hoeing action, the muck or other debris toward and into the body of the machine. This is highly advantageous since friction and inertial forces opposing muck loading are materially re duced. I

So far as muck loading itself is concerned, the rear portions of the sides of the body of the machine are configured to possess compound angle portions which enable rocks in the muck to slide upwardly and into the body of the machine in the manner so as to prevent the rocks from being wedged in between the work member of the machine and the body thereof which otherwise would preclude withdrawal of the work member toward and/ or into the body of the machine.

The load ejector member of themachine has a slanted forward transverse plate which aids in unloading of muck from the machine; additionally, rigid structure in the form of a grate is supplied at the front end of the machine body so that muck and other debris which might tend to accumulate between the transverse plate of the ejector and the forward end of the machine is eliminated automatically through the grate when the load ejector is urged in a forward direction. 1

Of special importance is the fact that the work member with its pressure cylinders is supplied means for selectively engaging the ejector member itself, so that extensible booms may alternatively be used, in addition to their usual transporting of the work member rearwardly and forwardly for muck loading, to move the load ejector member itself, both for removal of muck within the machine body and return of the ejector to the forward portion of the body. Novel hooking means is employed to accomplish this objective.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the load, transport and dump, earth working machine of the present invention and is shown connected to a suitable traction vehicle such as a conventional, two wheel tractor for transport.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the equipment of FIG- URE 1 and is partially cut away for purposes of clarity of construction.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the equipment of FIGURES l and 2, with the two booms thereof being in elevated position and extended so as to clear the top of a muck pile, for example, to be loaded into the machine.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section of the rear portion of the machine and illustrates the manner in which the machine dumps the load contained therein.

FIGURE 5 is a slightly enlarged, vertical section of the machine and illustrates the machine when the booms are in retracted condition and the work member tilted so as to effect disengagement thereof with the ejector member of the machine.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 the load, transport and dump, earth working machine 10 is shown principally to include body 11, load ejector member 12, a pair of booms 13 and 14, and a Work member 15. As shown in FIGURE 3, body 11 includes a pair of sides 16 and 17 which upstand from floor 18, being integral therewith. To the underside of floor 18 may be secured the conventional scraper blade 19, as desired. Body 11 may also advantageously contain outwardly sloping side portions 20* (two in number) each of which has .a side portion 21 which is angulated outwardly and downwardly in a compound angle as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The purpose for the inclusion of angulated side portions 21 is to prevent large rocks from becoming wedged in between the body 11 and the work member 15 (hereinafter described) when the work member is caused to advance toward the body. Thus, rocks will tend to ride up the angulated side portions 21 so as to drop into the body area naturally, and this without chancing the wedging of the rocks in between the ejector member and the body upon withdrawal of ejector member 12.

Body 11 also includes conventional wheels 22. with their associated arms 23, links 24 and height adjusting regulating cylinders 25 (this structure being conventional) so that the level of blade 19 with respect to ground may be controlled and, further, so that the machine may be elevated properly when the equipment is driven toa dumping area. Adjustable wheels for such equipment is conventional in the art and requires no further explanation. See for example United States Patents 2,679,119 and 2,573,- 720, merely by way of example.

Body 11 is also provided with a plurality of upstanding structural ribs 25 which may be thought of as delineating a structural grate 26. See FIGURE 2. This grate includes two pluralities of spacers 27 or other means which secure the structural ribs 25 in a mutually spaced relationship, and which themselves are secured in place to sides 16 and 17 by suitable rod attachments 28. It

will be noted that this grate 2:) leaves the front end of body 11 open, thereby permitting such muck and other debris as might accumulate at the front end of the body to be dropped therefrom through the grate so as to permit the reorientation of the ejector member (hereinafter described) at its forward disposition.

The ejector member itself is now to be considered. The load ejector member 12 advantageously includes an angulated transverse plate 29 integral with a pair of sides 39 and 31 (FIGURES 3 and and a top 32. Top 32 includes outer flange areas 33 (on both sides), see FIGURE 2, which ride on top of flanges 34 (see FIGURE 3) of body 11 (or upon low friction slide bars 35 affixed thereto). The load ejector member 12 also includes a pair of rearwardly extending arm portions 35 each of which is supplied with an inwardly directed pin 53. (Of course, one long bar might supplant the use of the pin pair 53 for the load ejector member; however, it is deemed advisable to have pins so as to leave the area between the sides 30 and 31 of load ejector 12 clear for loading.) The reason for the inclusion of angulated plate 29 is to accommodate rearward ejection and unloading of muck contained in the body 11 by reducing reverse friction forces; thus, the load is lifted out of as well as rearwardly ejected from the body 11 of the machine.

The drawings also illustrate that a pair of longitudinally oriented, co-planar parallel, extensible and withdrawable, booms 13 and 14 are supplied and are connected, preferably in a pivotal manner, to body 1 1 by means of suitable attachments 36 which may preferably take the form of an elongated pivot rod. Booms 13 and 14 may be of square (as shown) or cylindrical construction, and with member disposed inwardly of hollow member 40" so that the former will be slideable within the latter and be powered by suitable hydraulic, electrical or pneumatic means (at 41) as before explained. Each of the booms 13 and 14 is supplied with lift means 37 coupled thereto and to body 11. Lift means 37 will take the form of a hydraulic, electrical or pneumatic cylinder-and-piston combination 38 and 39 and is suitably connected to extensible booms 13 and 14 by clevises 40.

At this point it is to be noted that the machine is supplied with a conventional hydraulic, electrical or pneumatic system 41 which may be mounted either to the machine proper or, as shown, to the traction unit 42 which pulls the machine proper. The system may include suitable control levers 43, a pressure tank 44 and hydraulic or pneumatic feed and return lines 45- (shown in fragmentary view and broken away for convenience of illustration). The pneumatic or hydraulic system thus employed to operate booms 13 and 14 (pivotal about axis A'), cylinders 25 and 37 and cylinders 46 for the work member is conventional (see, for example, US. Patent 2,396,287) with all of the cylinder-piston assemblies (excepting booms 13 and 14) being pivotably journalled at P for proper operation.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 the traction vehicle 42 pulling the basic machine 10 is coupled to the machine it} by king pin 47 and link 48 or by other suitable means. The outermost ends of extensible booms 13 and 14 are provided with cars 49 which cooperate with corresponding clevis cars 50 of work member 15 so as to accommodate pivot pins 51 at pivot aids A.

The work member 15 as shown in FIGURE 3 includes a pair of sides 52 and 53' but has an open bottom 54. Muck is best scraped along the ground toward the machine, and interference of the desired operation is avoided by eliminating the conventional bottom of the work member. While the work member 15 may simply comprise a scraper blade, it is desirable that it take the form of a bottomless scoop as shown. Other forms are conceivable such as a scoop, bucket, and so forth.

Of importance in the design of work member 15 is the fact that a pair of books 52 are integral with the construction. The purpose for these hooks is to provide for the selective engagement of protuberances or pins 53 of the load ejector member 12. The hooks are so designed that the backs 54 of same will supply reaction surfaces for a pushing action against pins 5 3 of the ejector when the hooks 52 are in engagement with pins 53 and when the extensible booms 13 and 14 are selectively withdrawn.

The machinery above described operates in the following manner. The vehicle is backed toward a muck pile, booms 13 and 14 are elevated and extended as shown in FIGURE 3, and the body is lowered by suitable actuation of cylinders 25 so that blade 19 will come in contact substantially with ground level. The booms 13 and 14 are then lowered by suitable actuation of controls and cylinders 37 so that the work member 15 will engage the muck pile at a chosen level. Subsequently the booms 13 and 14 are withdrawn so as to pull the muck pile into the body 11. In this connection it has been found to be very advantageous to actuate cylinders 46 up-and-down by the suitable actuation of controls 43 so that there will be a type of reciprocatory pivotal movement of work member 15 about its axis, i.e. the axis of pivot pins 51. In this way a hoeing action may be simulated, i.e. short scooping actions may be made during the withdrawing of booms 13 and 14 so that the inherent inertia and friction forces of the muck pile are minimized. In this way, easy loading of the machine may be accomplished. Thus, the incorporation of cylinders 46 and the design of the equipment is highly advantageous so as to effect this reciprocatory scooping action of the work member 15.

When the first load of muck is brought into the equipment by means of the withdrawing of booms 13 and 14 and the forward movement of work member 15, the work member 15 is returned to the muck pile as illustrated in FIGURE 3 for a subsequent loading.

Once the loading of the machine is completed, the equipment is driven by tractor 42 to a dumping area, the equipment is backed into the dumping area, and controls 4-3 are actuated so as to make cylinders 46 at the shortest length, and this immediately over the pins 53. This action, either with or without the action of the withdrawing or extending slightly of booms 13 and 14 serves to engage hook 52 with pins 53. See FIGURE 4. Upon this engagement the booms are extended horizontally so that load ejector member 15 advances the load contained in the body 11 rearwardly, thereby dumping the load over blade 19. It will be noted in this connection that no separate cylinders, hydraulic or other pneumatic means, is employed to advance the ejector 12 rearwardly. This is an important point in the present invention, for by the linkage of the hooks 53 and pins 52, the booms themselves may serve to cause the ejection of the muck from the machine.

In FIGURE 4 it is noted that the hooks are so formed that the back, reaction surface of the hook area 54 may be used after the muck has been dumped to return work member 12 to its forward position in the equipment as shown in FIGURE 2. Subsequently, the cylinders 46 are extended so as to accomplish a disengagement of the hooks 52 from their pins 53 as shown in FIGURE 5. Then the machine is ready to be returned to the muckloading area.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A load, transport and dump, earth working machine including, in combination, a body comprising a floor and a pair of mutually spaced, upstanding sides integral therewith, said body being provided with an open, rear end; a load ejector member transversely disposed within said body between said sides and adjacent said floor; a pair of extensible, longitudinal, parallel, coplanar booms secured to said body above said floor; means for extending and Withdrawing said booms relative to said body; means secured to said body and to said booms for selectively elevating and withdrawing said booms; a work member; means journalling said work member to said booms for selective, pivotal movement of said work member about a horizontal axis, said work member having means for selectively engaging said load ejector member to move reciprocatingly said load ejector member within said body; and means secured to said work member and to at least one of said booms for pivoting said work member about its axis to effect such engagement.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said selectively engaging means of said work member comprises push-pull hook means, said load ejector member having means engageable by said hook means for effecting interengagement thereof.

3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said booms are pivotally connected to said body to rotate about a horizontal axis, said elevating means being coupled to said booms at points removed from said horizontal axis.

4-. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said body is supplied with selectively elevatable wheels, and means for elevating and lowering said wheels.

5. Structure according to claim 2 wherein said load eject-or member includes inwardly directed pins engageable by said hook means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,726 Lewis Nov. 14, 1939 2,565,850 I-Iyler Aug. 28, 1951 2,705,082 Heimsoth Mar. 29, 1955 2,768,760 Pilch Oct. 30, \1956 2,795,872 Wardle .a.. June 18, 1957 

